Hotline Bling

Posted on Tue Jul 18th, 2017 @ 9:40am by Captain Elijah Michaels & Commander Cor Cordale

Mission: Awakening
Location: Main Engineering

Elijah strolled along the halls of Deck 16, the belly of the Ship in some ways. Main Engineering was housed here and with it came his next port of call. With a polite nod towards the Crewman Apprentice and Petty officer who were conducting maintenance on an ODN Relay he proceeded inside.

With a momentary glance around he made a move towards the Engineers office, the clear glass bubble that was the home of the Thux he had come to see as his friend. He walked over and knocked on the window.

Even through the window it was obvious that the Thux was hard at work. The wall consoles had images of the schematics for both the Dalacari craft and the Ts'usugi escort craft, while the Thux himself was working something out on a PaDD. At the knock, he almost startled a little before he gave a chuckle and indicated that the Captain should come in. "C'mon in, chief. Just... figuring stuff out, or not as the case might be." he called out as the door opened for Elijah.

Elijah came into the 'Bubble' and looked around at the displays. "That's a lot of schematics, I thought you were going to distribute it amongst your Engineers?"

"Oh they've got their copies, I'm working out a side project. Something during the meeting caught my attention." he put that PaDD down, full of obvious signs of math. "Valeria asked for permission to contact her people, right? Assuming she left that meeting or whatever and went right to the comms array and made the call that moment, she sent a message to the delta quadrant and got an answer back within hours." he paused. "Hours."

The Thux tapped the PaDD on his desk, "And for the life of me, I don't know how. Anywho, you didn't come all the way to Hard Work Town to just hear me blab. What's on your plate chief?"

"Ive got a Dilemma Cor." Elijah said to the Thux as he took a seat opposite him. "I got a request from the Corps of Engineers, they want to transfer you off the Ship and into some project as a Team Leader." The Captain paused as he skimmed through the information. "Commander Cordale is requested for immediate transfer to the SCE."

Well shit.

"Well shit. I mean sorry.. I mean." the Thux fumbled for words for a moment, before he took a breath. "Any idea what the project is? I'm not saying Yes right away, mind you. I just want all the details."

"Whatever it is, it has to wait until after this mission, though. There's nothing the SCE could offer that's more interesting than Delta Quadrant tech."

"I denied the transfer." Elijah said bluntly to the Thux. "My response was if you want the Thux then you're going to have to find me a Chief Engineer equal or greater than his talents."

You could have knocked the Thux over with a feather. "W... wow, hey umm... thanks. No really, thanks. Good to know that someone's got my back. And ummm... thanks for the confidence." he said, slowly getting his feet under him again. "Heh, besides, they probably just wanted to study me or something. Nope, no Thux under the microscope for them." he actually chuckled, now in good spirits again.

"I'll do you proud, well I guess I'll KEEP doing you proud." he chuckled.

"There is one more thing I must point out." Elijah commented to Cor, the Captain looked as straight faced as ever. "Note the wording of the message? COMMANDER Cordale."

Elijah then placed a single solitary pip onto the desk inbetween the two of them.

Any more of this and the Thux's heart was going to be in trouble. The Thux took a breath, half expecting the big speech about honor and duty and essentially everything Kevin yelled at him for. He expected the talk, expected the handshakes, and braced himself for the 'Promotion' speech... but it never came.

He reached across the table and took up the pip in his living hand. "You remember everything I said about not letting you down? Pride and all that?" he looked at the pip, then back at Elijah, "It still applies." and the weaseloid smirked. "Thanks. I know you're gonna say that I earned this, and that no thanks are needed, but someone had to believe in a space drifter enough to get them into starfleet. Someone had to believe in a big blue furball enough to give them a job."

"So I figure someone had to believe in that Thux enough to put in the good word."

"Yeah well I said I'll approve the promotion and not the transfer." Elijah smirked. "If we are going head long against the Jennarri I need my most experienced Engineer on the Ship that's going to beat them."

Cordale looked at the pip, then back to Elijah, "Well, I'll do everything I can to throw all sorts of hell at them. Not my assistant Hel. Though I'm sure she'd ruin their day." he smirked, then his glance slid to the schematics on the wall. "Y'know... Maybe what we need is an ace."

"What are you thinking Commander?" Elijah asked him. He knew that look it mean that the Thux had an idea and when he had an idea he a plan.

"The Jennarri have pretty much shrugged off everything we've thrown at them. We've got plans, we've got ideas, but for the most part the Jennarri are holding most of the cards. We need an ace. Something they probably haven't every seen, or ever defended against. Now, the Dalacari... from the briefs... aren't the kind to just rush in guns blazing. But the Ts'usugi..." he paused, "I wonder if we could ask for their help dealing with something, and call it payment for us serving as third-party arbitration."

"What's that human expression about back scratching?"

Elijah thought about it for a moment. "We could mention it to Valeria and have it brought up once we find a solution to their problem." He nodded. "Good thinking Cor."

He chuckled, "I think you mean, good thinking Commander." he held that straight face for possibly a picosecond before he broke out in a good laugh. "Oh I'm kidding chief.... but yeah, that's why you keep me around." And in an odd way, he meant that.

Elijah chuckled as he got up. "We'll be arriving at the coordinates soon I'll see you on the Bridge......Commander."

"I'll see you there, boss." and with that the Thux returned to his personal project. That little puzzle sitting before him. "How did those long ears manage it..." he asked himself quietly.